11th place in study

Austria’s pupils perform well in math

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, krone.at-Grafik)

Austrian pupils in the eighth grade (4th grade AHS/middle school) have landed in the upper midfield in scientific subjects and mathematics in a country comparison study. In both mathematics and science, around 4,600 red-white-red participants in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) achieved 512 points each, putting them in eleventh place. At the top of the list is Singapore with scores of over 600.

It is followed by Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. The best EU country in mathematics is Ireland (522) and Finland (521) in science. Austria is similar in both test areas to the more well-known PISA study, which tests slightly older pupils. There, too, Austrian young people are particularly strong in math, while they perform comparatively worse in reading (which is not tested in TIMSS). However, a direct comparison is not possible as some of the countries participating in the two studies are different.

The strengths and weaknesses of Austrian pupils
Austria owes its overall good result in math in TIMSS primarily to the comparatively low number of weak pupils. Conversely, there are comparatively few top students in Austria (only five percent, the EU average is seven percent, international average: 10 percent). 

(Bild: APA/dpa/Frank Leonhardt)

The mathematical strengths of Austrians lie in the category of numbers and measures, while the study participants were weaker in data and probabilities. In the natural sciences, Austria is particularly strong in physics and geography, average in chemistry and weaker in biology.

Social status an important influencing factor
The social status of the young people influenced their performance, as those with a low social status (e.g. educational status of parents, access to resources) achieved an average of 88 points less in math than those with a high social status, and the difference in science was as much as 112 points. The point differences by migration background are significantly smaller. On average, migrants in Austria scored 38 points lower in math and 57 points lower in science.

There is practically no difference between the sexes: Boys tend to perform better in both math and science - but the differences in Austria (7 and 6 points respectively) are practically insignificant.

Education Minister: "Schools provide solid foundations"
For Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP), the results show "that Austria's schools provide a solid foundation in mathematics and science". At the same time, it would underline the importance of efforts to further reduce social and migration-related differences, according to a press release.